Alexandra Eala received special support from Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni during her quarterfinal clash against Iga Swiatek at the 2025 Miami Open on Wednesday. The Filipino teenage prodigy, who graduated from the Spaniard’s eponymous tennis academy, has been the story of the event so far, having ousted two Grand Slam champions in her run.
Eala received a main draw wildcard for the WTA 1000 event and kicked off her campaign with a straight set win over Katie Voleynets. She then demanded the attention of the tennis fraternity by clinching wins over 25th seed Jelena Ostapenko and fifth seed Madison Keys, both in straight sets.
The Filipino set up a clash against the second seed, Iga Swiatek, in the quarterfinal. The Pole received a bye into the second round due to her seeding, following which she clinched three consecutive straight-set wins against Caroline Garcia, 27th seed Elise Mertens, and 22nd seed Elina Svitolina, respectively.
During their quarterfinal clash, Alexandra Eala received some special support in her box from none other than Rafael Nadal’s uncle Toni, who coached the 22-time Major champion for the majority of his career and is one of the most instrumental figures of his success.
Interestingly, this match would feel like a full circle moment for Alexandra Eala and Iga Swiatek as the Pole was present at the Filipino’s graduation ceremony.
Iga Swiatek was the guest of honor at Alexandra Eala’s graduation ceremony from Rafael Nadal’s academy
In June 2023, Iga Swiatek was the guest of honor for the graduating students of the Rafa Nadal Academy in Movistar in Mallorca, Spain. She delivered a speech and also clicked photos with the graduating students.
Interestingly, one of those students was Alexandra Eala, the Filipino teenage star, who also clicked a photo alongside the Swiatek and the 14-time French Open champion. The Academy’s Instagram page shared a post about the aforementioned, which was later shared by the Spaniard’s sister, Maribel, on her Instagram story.
During a chat with the Tennis Channel following her win over Madison Keys, Eala opened up about the positive impact of her time at Nadal’s academy. Alexandra Eala said (2:30),
“So I’ve been there for about seven years, so it’s my second home and I have so many good relationships with the people from there. Yeah, and they’ve helped me in my development an astronomical amount.”
The quarterfinal clash between Alexandera Eala and Iga Swiatek is currently going on with the Filipino leading the match 6-2, 5-5*.
